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Species library › Marcgravia › Marcgravia umbellata
Terrarium Well documented

Marcgravia umbellata

Shingle vine

A root-climbing vine of the Lesser Antilles, and the type species of Marcgravia. Young shoots press flat, overlapping leaves against tree trunks and rocks, which makes them a favourite terrarium climber. Adult shoots grow away from the support, hang down and carry bat-pollinated umbels with pitcher-like nectaries.

Marcgravia umbellata
Photo: Daderot, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
At home, aim for
Day Warm-growingTargets in Plantistry
Night Close to the dayTargets in Plantistry
Humidity Humid airBand in Plantistry
Light ShadeDLI and PPFD in Plantistry
No rest periodClimber

Where it grows wild

Collected in moist forest on the volcanic islands: forested slopes on Dominica (Micotrin, near Laudat), on boggy ground in woodland, near Grand Etang in Grenada and on La Soufrière in Guadeloupe. The juvenile creeping shoots root onto trunks and rocks in the shaded forest interior; fertile shoots grow up to brighter light.

Most labelled Antillean collections lie between about 300 and 900 m; the median of all labelled elevations is 500 m.

Lesser Antilles: Guadeloupe, Dominica, Martinique, St Lucia, St Vincent, Grenada, Saba, MontserratAnguilla

🔒 Growing it like that

The wild conditions above, turned into targets for a shelf, a tent or a greenhouse. The full profile has:

✓ Day and night temperature targets, and the limits it tolerates
✓ Humidity band, and how to hold it
✓ Light as DLI and PPFD for a grow light
✓ Wet and dry seasons, and whether to rest it
✓ Substrate and airflow
✓ A step-by-step setup to grow it like the wild

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Profiles are drafts built from measured range and climate and from published sources; each section carries its own confidence in the app. Photo from Wikimedia Commons, used under its Public domain licence, unmodified.